A Collection of Moments
by just-jilyy
Summary: This will be a multi-chapter collection of drabbles and one-shots featuring Lily Evans, James Potter, the Marauders, their friends and their misadventures. Going with an M rating just in case.
1. Smitten

**Smitten**

"I'll need to borrow your notes for the essay," James said, leading the way into the corridor after class was dismissed. "I didn't get anything down today."

"Is it because you're smitten?" Sirius questioned with a smirk as he followed James out of the Transfiguration classroom.

"Who is smitten?"

James turned to see Lily standing behind him, her head tilted to the side curiously as she clutched her books to her chest. He felt a blush creep up his neck and reached up to ruffle his unruly hair.

"Oh, nobody. I was just trying out a new word. Birds love sensitive blokes with a big vocabulary, y'know. Smitten," Sirius paused, a devilish grin spreading across his handsome face as he pretended to mull it over in his mind, "Eh, it's not for me."

Lily's lips tipped up in a half smile and she raised her eyebrow, looking between the two boys.

"Er…yeah." James chuckled, trying to recover from his embarrassment. "Sirius was thinking about asking McKinnon to Hogsmeade. I told him he isn't exactly her type."

Sirius scoffed, holding his hand to his chest in an affronted manner. 'I'm _everybody's _type, Prongs."

Lily laughed. "Sorry to break it to you, Black, but you aren't my type."

James perked up, a lopsided grin pulling the right side of his mouth up as he regained his usual confidence. "That right, Evans? Who's your type then?"

"Yeah Evans, how about Prongs here? Is _he_ your type?" Sirius teased, nudging James in the ribs with his elbow.

Lily paused, leaning back on her heels as her eyes traced a path from James's messy hair, running over his hazel eyes hidden behind the square frames of his specs, past his loose tie and untucked shirt, all the way to the scuffed toes of his trainers. She bit her lip and returned her gaze to James's face and he caught a glimpse of something there in her eyes as she looked at him.

He was looking at her warily, unsure what quip she would throw his way this time. Lily was well-known for her sharp tongue and her love for bringing James to his knees.

"Well, you aren't awful on the eyes, Potter." Lily replied, holding his gaze with her bright green stare. "And you annoy ne enough that I think we'd probably have a very passionate love affair…"

She trailed off as James's jaw dropped. She smirked and lifted her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. "But that doesn't necessarily mean you're my type."

Without giving James a second to find his tongue and respond, Lily turned on her heel and set off down the hallway, her long auburn hair swaying across her back with each step. Sirius barked out a laugh and clapped James on the back.

"Oi! She's a feisty one! And you _are_ smitten, mate."

James shot him an annoyed look and shoved his fingers through his hair, still baffled by Lily's words.

"Oi! Evans!" James managed to call after her, stopping her just before she rounded the corner at the end of the corridor. She paused looking over her shoulder at him, though she did not turn around completely, and quirked an eyebrow inquisitively.

"You didn't say I _wasn't _your type!"

James watched as an attractive pink colored her cheeks and she tipped her head back, laughing. With a light shake of her head, Lily turned back and lifted one hand behind her shoulders, wiggling her fingers at him in a light wave. She turned the corner, leaving James staring after her down the hall.

Sirius punched him in the shoulder playfully, shaking his head. "Like I said, smitten. I can't wait to tell Remus and Peter."

"Shut it, Padfoot." James grumbled, shoving his hands in her trouser pockets. Maybe he was—okay, he _definitely_ was—smitten. But he couldn't help but think, maybe he wasn't the only one who was a little smitten.


	2. If They Lived

**A/N: Here's the one-shot I came up with for a request I got for an "If Jily Lived AU". It was so much fun to write, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. xox**

**November 1, 1981**

The small cottage that sat at the end of the cul-de-sac in the sleepy little village called Godric's Hollow was nothing much to the eye of the odd passerby. Not even the neighbors in the village took much notice of the small cottage, and the first of November in 1981 was no different—or at least it wouldn't appear to be, in the minds of these neighbors. These unaware muggles, however, had no way of knowing the standing of that small little cottage and its inhabitants, or the great importance of the events that had taken place just the previous night.

**October 31, 1981**

Sirius Black was a normally suspicious person. Between the beliefs of his blood family and the things he had witnessed in the walls of his own home for the first fifteen years of his life, he had grown weary of the goodness of people rather early on. There were precious few people in his life that he trusted, and it made Sirius sick to his stomach that one of those few was now the cause of a sense of unease that ran deep into his bones.

It was because of that feeling—the unnerving sense that there was something wrong—that Sirius found himself trailing silently behind one of his best mates, hidden under a borrowed invisibility cloak, despite the fact that he was meant to be checking on him in his hiding place in a mere three days. The fact that he had left and was obviously in a hurry only deepened the sense of wrongness Sirius felt in his gut.

Peter Pettigrew walked briskly through the narrow streets of the city, his head down and his cloak pulled tightly around his face. Sirius was grateful that he had not decided to travel in his Animagus form, as it would make Sirius's surveillance more difficult.

He paused as Peter slowed, looking around the quiet streets quickly before ducking into a nondescript building tucked between two shops that were closed for the night. Sirius followed, slipping into the building just before the door clicked shut. He moved down the hall silently, wary of the dark wood floors stained with dust and age. He knew there would be nothing good to come if he were to be caught.

Peter slipped into a brightly lit room at the end of the hall and Sirius risked moving closer so that he could see just who was so important to meet with in the middle of the night. Leaning forward, Sirius felt his gut clench with dread and disgust, but not surprise, when he saw the figure standing near the fireplace in front of Peter.

"My Lord," he heard Peter saying in his shaky voice. "Master, the Potters, they have made me their secret keeper. I can tell you where they are."

Sirius bit down on his tongue, fighting the urge to burst into the room and kill the traitor he had once called a friend. Before he could turn away, the whispering voice of Voldemort reached his ears.

"Very good, Pettigrew. I knew you could prove useful."

"Thank you Master. Shall I call the others?"

"No, there's no need. I'll handle this myself, tonight."

Sirius clenched his jaw and turned, hurrying to the door as silently as he could. There was no time to wait around and listen, he had to warn James and Lily.

**November 1, 1981**

The cottage at the end of the cul-de-sac stood quietly, giving away nothing of the destruction of the interior of the small family home. Inside, however, was a war zone. The battle of the night before had left the cottage in ruins. The walls of the living room were splintered and charred, the furniture strewn about the room brokenly. The banister of the staircase was broken and hanging haphazardly down the wall. Pictures from the walls were knocked to the floor, the glass broken out of the frames and scattered across the wood floor. There were streaks of blood smeared on the walls, on the overturned couch and leaving a trail to the kitchen.

Amid the mess stood a young man with a mess of dark hair and tattered clothes. His face was cut in several places and his grey t-shirt was dark with blood. There was dust and plaster in his hair, and his specs were sitting crookedly on the bridge of his nose, one lens missing from the frames. His arms were around a woman—the same age as him—who was holding a small bundle in her arms. The woman had long auburn hair tucked messily into a knot on the top of her head. She had her face buried in the young man's shoulder as her body was racked with sobs.

Across the room, another dark haired young man stood talking seriously to a much older man with a long white beard. His arms were crossed in front of him over the torn leather of a biking jacket and he too, had several cuts on his handsome face. The older man stood looking around the room wearily, though he had a gleam of something that could have been described as relief in his eyes.

"Death would've been better than betrayal!" The silence was interrupted by a furious shout from the young man in the leather jacket. He threw his hands into the air in frustration, and the older man looked at him patiently.

"Mr. Black, it is understandable that you are angry." Albus Dumbledore responded. "Mr. Pettigrew's acts are unforgivable, and justice will be served to him. However, you need not dwell on those unpleasant thoughts. Instead, be thankful that you acted in time. James and Lily are safe, and Voldemort is dead."

"Padfoot, he's right." James Potter said, pulling away from his wife-though he kept one arm around her shoulders—to look at his best mate. "Peter will be punished. But you, you saved us."

The young redhead smiled up at both men and she wiped her tears away and shifted the bundle she was holding in her arms. "James is right, Sirius. You saved us. You saved Harry."

The three of them looked down at the small bundle tucked away in her arms. Baby Harry was sleeping soundly in his mum's arms, unaware of the destruction surrounding them on his behalf. Lily smoothed the hair away from her son's smooth forehead, kissing him lightly before turning back to the three men standing before her.

Sirius looked at them, two of his best mates and his godson, and despite the anger that still burned deep in his eyes he smiled. If he never did anything significant for the rest of his life, that would be alright, as long as these three were there to be a part of it.

Lily sighed as she looked around the destruction of the house. "Everything is destroyed."

Dumbledore crossed the room and rested a hand on James's shoulder. As he looked at the young couple standing before him, holding their son, his eyes twinkled.

"Only in the shattering can the rebuilding occur, and you Mr. and Mrs. Potter, have plenty of time to rebuild." With those last words, he nodded at the three young people in the room and with a crack of his wand, Apparated away.

James stepped away from Lily to pull the most intact chair amongst the debris into an upright position so that his wife could sit down. She sank into the chair, the adrenaline in her veins from the stress and terror of the night slowly leave her body and leaving her feeling exhausted.

"I shouldn't have brought Harry," Lily said, looking down at the sleeping baby. "I just couldn't leave him though. Not with knowing how close we came to…"

She trailed off, unable to speak the words. They had been so close to death. Had it not been for Sirius acting on a feeling, they wouldn't be sitting here talking now.

James nodded, grasping her free hand between his own. Sirius moved closer to them, sinking down to sit on the floor near Lily's feet. He leaned his head back, resting it on her leg as he closed his eyes.

They sat in silence for several minutes, taking the time to reflect on the events of the night and let it sink it that it was finally, _finally, _over.

Sirius was the first to break out of the silence, raising his head and looking at three of the four people in the entire world that he loved.

"So where do we go from here?" he asked.

Lily rose from the chair, holding Harry in one arm. James slipped his arm around her waist and rested one hand lightly on Harry's sleeping form. Lily extended her hand to Sirius, who took her hand gratefully.

"We rebuild." She said, leaning her head on James's shoulder and squeezing Sirius's hand. "We step into the daylight and let it go."


	3. Of Jealousy and Jumpers

**A/N: Here's a oneshot for a request I got over on Tumblr. The request was for some Jily fluff with jealous Snape thrown in as well. **

**Hope you enjoy! xox**

The large, heavy-bound tome slammed down onto the table, startling Lily out of her focused studying of _Transfiguration Through the Ages_. She looked up, eyes wide with surprise, and met the cold glare of her former mate.

"I can't believe you." Severus Snape hissed, leaning closer to Lily.

Lily sat up straighter in her seat, pulling her face as far away from his as she could while still remaining in her seat. She refused to let him intimidate her.

"Well, I'm not sure what you can't believe, but can you go about it somewhere else? I'm busy."

"You're just flaunting it about now, aren't you?" Snape sneered, his eyes dropping to her chest. "You and Potter."

Lily glanced down and registered exactly what jumper she had thrown on in her haste to get out of the common room so she could snag the best table in the library. There on her chest was the crest of Gryffindor—which was nothing special being that it was her house and all, however, underneath the embroidered crest were the golden stitches of thread that spelled out "CAPTAIN". She had thrown on James's Quidditch jumper, and Lily suddenly understood what Snape had meant about flaunting herself and James.

"I seem to be missing your point." Lily said blandly, raising an eyebrow.

Snape blanched, still, she could see the fury burning in his dark eyes. "You're wearing his name, right there across your back for everyone to see."

Lily glanced over her shoulder, pulling the sleeve so the back of the jumper was visible over her left shoulder. There was more gold thread embroidered into the burgundy material of the jumper, spelling out "POTTER" in big, bold letters.

"I suppose I am." Lily smiled softly before turning back to Snape. "I don't see what it matters to you, though. I thought you didn't care about what mudbloods like me do?"

Snape flinched at the acid in her tone, though he didn't back away. "You're practically announcing to everyone that you're shagging that prick."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Wearing a jumper doesn't _announce_ anything. Even if it did, it wouldn't be any of _your _business, Snape."

Over Snape's shoulder, Lily could see the doors to the library opening and she craned her neck slightly to see who was entering the room. When she saw the familiar head of messy black hair, she couldn't stop the bright smile from lighting up her face. She knew her cheeks were growing pink with the blush that always took residence on her face in the presence of James, but she didn't care.

Snape watched the change in her features—saw her eyes go from cold and closed off while looking at him to shining with anticipation as a sweet blush covered her cheeks—and turned to see what had caught her attention.

Without looking back at him, Lily waved her hand dismissively. "Run along to your little Death Eater friends now. Don't want to be seen with a dirty little muggleborn, now do we?"

"Bloody arrogant prick! And _you,_" Snape seethed. "You'll see what a mistake you're making, Lily. One day, you'll realize that James Potter isn't worth anything."

Lily turned to him, her eyes burning as she glared at him. "James Potter is a better man that you will _ever_ be. Now leave, and do not ever speak about James like that to me again. In fact, do not speak to me at all."

She reached across the table and shoved the tome he had dropped—something about dark magic, unsurprisingly—closer to him. He snatched it up, shooting her one last scowl before turning on his heel and stalking off through the stacks of books.

When she looked back up, James was standing next to her chair, a slight frown on his face.

"What was that about?" he asked, looking at Lily with concern in his eyes.

"Snape didn't think I was making an appropriate statement with my jumper." She shrugged and smiled up at him, reaching out for his hand to pull him down beside her.

Before he sat, he peered around her and caught sight of his name printed boldly across her back. A grin spread across his face, lighting up his hazel eyes.

"You're wearing my jumper." Lily nodded. "You have my name, right there across your back."

"Is there a problem with that?" Lily laughed, finally managing to tug him into the chair next to hers.

He ran a hand through his unruly hair, the smirk still lighting his features. "Not at all, Evans. You can wear my name anytime you want."

"I keep that in mind." Lily said, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the lips. Before she could pull away, however, James deepened the kiss, cupping her chin in his warm hands to hold her mouth to his own. A breathy sigh escaped from her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. Kissing James was something that would never get old.

Finally, James pulled back, a contented smirk on his charming face. "I brought you something, love."

He gestured to a steaming mug sitting in the middle of the table. Lily grinned and pulled the mug towards her, raising it to her lips. She breathed in the rich aroma of her favorite tea—Earl Grey—and sighed contentedly.

"Just a splash of milk and one spoon of honey." James said, watching as she took a sip of the warm liquid.

"Just how I like it." Lily replied. "I didn't know you knew how I take my tea."

James ruffled his hair again and Lily noticed a hint of a blush coloring his neck. "I know a lot of things about you, love."

Lily shifted in her seat, cupping the warm mug in her hands and kicking her feet up to rest in James's lap. Her Transfiguration essay wasn't due for another week, anyway.

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me then."

James groaned, though he settled back into the chair and rested his hands on her legs, moving his fingers in lazy patterns across her jeans. Even through the fabric, Lily felt goosebumps rise on her skin from his touch.

"Oi." He sighed, seeming resigned. "Well, for starters, I know that you prefer tea in the evenings and coffee with cream first thing in the morning. I know you're not much of a morning person, but you'll get up just to watch the sunrise. You bite your lip when you're nervous or focused. When you're really concentrating on something, you'll wind a piece of your hair around your finger over and over again. I also know that even though you think its cliché, you love lilies. You also love rainstorms and crisp autumn days."

He paused and Lily stared at James in awe, unsure of what to say. He wouldn't raise his gaze to meet hers, and chose instead to focus on the pattern his fingers were tracing up and down her thighs. Lily cleared her throat, trying to brush away the pressure she felt in her chest. James knew so much about her—all the little quirks and odd things she loved, he knew them all.

"Would you look at me?" Lily spoke softly as she leaned forward to catch his eye she placed her mug back onto the table beside her.

James finally looked up, his cheeks pink. "Bit of a git I am, huh? Making myself look like a stalker or something."

"Just observant, I'd say." She replied. "I think its rather sweet, you knowing so much about me."

James rolled his eyes and chuckled, trying to brush it off. Lily dropped her feet to the ground and scooted her chair closer to his, cupping his face between both of her hands. Her green eyes were burning with emotion as they met his hazel ones with a gaze so fierce he couldn't look away.

"I'm serious!"

"You're not Sirius, you're Lily." James joked.

She rolled her eyes, dropping her hands into her lap. "Really, James. I think it's sweet. And you aren't the only one with stalker-ish qualities."

His head shot up, eyes narrowing as he looked at her. "You're just trying to make me feel less like a bloody sod."

Lily shook her head, leaning back as she crossed her arms. As she spoke, she began ticking off her fingers, counting the jumble of facts that she knew about James Potter one by one.

"I know that you, despite your very British ancestry, despise tea. You prefer coffee, very black. I also know that read textbooks—particularly Transfiguration—for the fun of it. Every Hogsmeade trip you buy a boatload of chocolate for Remus and a bloody ridiculous amount of Zonko's supplies for Sirius and Peter, just because. You like to get up early to fly around the Quidditch pitch before the sun comes up because it clears your head and you like the feel of the cold air on your face."

Lily stopped, grinning at James as he looked at her in shock. "Told you, Potter."

James shook his head, letting out a laugh. "I suppose you did, Evans."

Lily sat up again, placing her hands on James's knees and leaning so close to him that their lips were nearly touching.

"Bet I can tell you something you don't know about me." She whispered.

James swallowed. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Lily brushed her lips over his swiftly—too quickly for it to be an actual kiss, but slow enough to leave James wanting more. Her eyes never left his as she spoke.

"I fall more in love with you every day, James Potter."

Almost before the words were completely out of her mouth, James's lips were crushed against her own. His reaction to her words was heady, a rush of a feeling that left Lily with a tingle of anticipation all the way to her toes. She knew that she had never spoke truer words before. She, Lily Evans, was completely in love with James Potter.

Her hands found their way into the thick mess of his hair, fingers tightening in the strands as his hands gripped her waist and pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap. In the back of her head, she knew that they were not conducting themselves the way they should in the library, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away from James.

After what seemed like an eternity and much too short a time all at once, Lily pulled back and dropped back into her own seat, trying to smooth her hair back from her face and straighten her jumper—James's jumper, really—while simultaneously looking around to see if anyone had seen them.

Luckily, the library was still fairly empty and the few younger students that sat around them didn't seem to notice or care about the two of them.

"And Severus thought me wearing your jumper was flaunting our relationship." She said, laughing.

When she looked back at James his whole face was lit up by his charmingly crooked grin. She shook her head and leaned against James, letting her head fall to rest on his shoulder. His arm came around her, pulling her as close to him as he could with their separate chairs.

"C'mon Evans, let's hurry and get this Transfiguration essay over with so I can go snog you properly." James said, kissing her lightly on the top of the head as he pulled the discarded text closer to them.

"Sounds like a plan, Potter."

Two weeks later, when Lily and James got their essays back, they were not surprised to find that they had only gotten Acceptables, accompanied by a note in Professor McGonagall's swooping writing at the top reading: For two of my top students, I found this essay to be rushed and hastily prepared. I expect to see a return to exemplary work next week.

James winked at Lily as he pointed to the note and mouthed "Worth it". She laughed, nodding along with him. The snogging session that had cut short their work on their essays had _definitely _been worth it.


	4. Hopeless

**A/N: I cannot get enough of these two! I seem to have this little obsession with Lily wearing James's Quidditch jumper. So here's this little drabble that has been stuck in my head for the past couple weeks. Hopefully it came across as well as it played out in my head. I hope you enjoy! xox**

Lily Evans woke with a start to the sound of her cat meowling in the distance. This irked her nerves for two reasons: one, it was a cold Saturday morning late in March and she had planned on sleeping in while most of the other students spent their morning in Hogsmeade, and two, Crooks—her curmudgeonly orange cat was making a racket from down in the common room, which meant that one of her roommates had let he slip out while Lily was still sleeping.

Crooks was a fine cat, to Lily and the other girls in the sixth-year girls' dormitory he was downright loveable, but he tended to be a menace to all the other Gryffindor students—stealing socks and chewing his way through secret candy stashes. It was because of these tendencies that Lily didn't let Crooks have free roam of the common room unless she was down there as well, but he seemed to sneak out quite often despite Lily's efforts.

"Shite." Lily groaned, rolling over in her bed. She threw her heavy down comforter off her, the chill of the room racking her body with a shiver as her bare feet touched the cold stone floor.

After six years, Lily supposed she should have known to at least wear socks to bed in the winter, but she wasn't keen on sleeping in a lot of layers. In fact, she suffered a lot of teasing at the hands of her fellow dorm mates—Marlene McKinnon, Mary MacDonald, and Dorcas Meadows—for her current choice in sleepwear. Despite their teasing her that she was hopeless, Lily couldn't bring herself to get rid of the perfect sleepwear.

She had come across a jumper in the common room at the beginning of the year and the oversized thing paired perfectly with her knickers with the Gryffindor lion across the arse. The sleeve hung down just over her hands, the neckline slopping down and exposing one shoulder while the hem hit her just at mid-thigh. The scarlet material of the jumper was soft and silky and felt divine against her skin, and the smell—Lily had placed a restorative charm on it so that the scent of vanilla and cinnamon didn't fade away—was incredible. It was just warm enough to keep her cozy and not overheated while she slept.

Squinting her eyes—maybe if she didn't open them all the way going back to sleep wouldn't be hopeless—she picked her way across the dorm and to the door. She opened it a crack and peeked out.

The common room was empty, the only noise coming from the soft crackle of flames from the fireplace. Lily pulled the door open further and spotted Crooks near the couch, where the ornery cat was batting a chocolate frog back and forth between his large paws.

In a hurry to get back to her warm bed, Lily decided to risk the quick retrieval of her cat without dressing further. After all, the common room was empty, and her stolen borrowed jumper covered her to mid-thigh anyway.

She tip-toed down the stairs, trying not to startle Crooks. Lily breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the bottom of the stairs and sank her cold, bare feet into the plush rug that covered the common room.

Clicking her tongue, Lily bent down and wiggled her fingers to get her furry beastie's attention.

"C'mere Crooks." The cat paused in its game with the frog and looked up, its tawny eyes meeting Lily's. "C'mere then. Be a good cat."

She took a step forward, reaching to pick up the cat, but he had other ideas and quickly slunk under the couch and out of Lily's reach.

"Damn." Lily sighed. She lowered herself to her hands and knees so she could look under the couch. "Crooks, this is not funny."

From the position she was in, Lily knew that anyone who entered the common room would have a sight to see—Lily Evans with her arse in the air, the Gryffindor lion displayed proudly across her knickers. The quicker she got her cat, the quicker she could escape back up the stairs and under her warm blankets.

She swiped her arm out under the couch; Crooks, however, remained out of reach.

"C'mon you bloody stubborn creature. I just want to go back to bed!" Lily groaned, glaring at her cat. Crooks purred, his tail swishing contentedly as he settled himself down beneath the couch.

"Alright Evans?"

Lily's head shot up, slamming into the underneath of the couch as she rose. Lily had been so distracted trying to extricate Crooks that she hadn't heard the footsteps of the boy who now stood mere feet away from her, leaning against the banister of the staircase with his arms crossed over his chest and a crooked smirk on his face.

_Shite. Bloody fucking shite._

From his perch at the bottom of the stairs, it was very clear that James Potter had just had a very clear view of Lily's arse, covered only by none other than her Gryffindor knickers. Lovely.

And while that was embarrassing enough, she hoped against everything that he may possibly have been distracted enough to not notice the back of the jumper she was wearing.

"Er…hullo Potter." Lily replied, rising to her feet and rubbing the back of her head where she had smacked it. She could feel the blush rising up her throat and into her cheeks.

"Need some help?" he asked, his hazel eyes dancing with amusement.

"Nope! No thanks. You can just go along to Hogsmeade. I'm sure Sirius, Remus, and Peter are all wondering where you are."

James laughed, pushing himself away from the banister and moving a step closer to her. "They've all got detention with Filch today, so I'm staying in the castle."

Lily swallowed, not quite able to meet his eye. "Hmm. Well, I'm sure you're busy so…goodbye."

He shrugged, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "Don't have any plans yet. But why aren't you in Hogsmeade right now?"

Lily bit her lip. Damn, why didn't he leave? All she wanted was to get her damn cat and go back to bed and have James Potter never, ever see the back of the jumper she was wearing with only a pair of knickers.

"I wanted to sleep in." she replied, her voice coming out a little more strained than she was happy with.

James looked at her curiously and Lily felt her blush flame up as his eyes traveled the length of her body, resting briefly on her bare legs before meeting her eyes again.

He cleared his throat. "Er, right. So, what're you doing down here, digging around under the couch then?"

"Crooks escaped the dorm. I didn't want him stealing socks or anything so I was trying to get him back up there so I could go back to sleep."

"Ah. I see." James nodded. "Let me try then."

James moved to step around her, but Lily was quicker, taking two steps back so that he didn't have to move behind her to kneel in front of the couch.

James tapped the ground just in front of the couch, clicking his tongue as he did so. "C'mon Crooks. Come out, I'll get you a treat if you come out now."

Lily watched as her cat—the filthy little traitor—crawled out from underneath the couch covered in dust and straight into James's arms. She glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Thanks then, Potter."

James turned to her, a smile lighting his face. He was scratching Crooks just behind his ears, causing the menace to purr in delight. "No problem, Evans."

James took a step towards her, moving to hand her back her cat when his eyes moved to her chest. She had brushed her long auburn hair back over her shoulder, revealing the patch sewn into the right breast pocket of the jumper she was wearing. Lily winced and grabbed her cat, holding him close against her chest and hoping James hadn't gotten a close enough look.

"Wait a minute." He said, his eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Lily asked, trying to sound innocent, though the blush staining her cheeks gave her away.

"Is that…" James trailed off, looking up at Lily. His brows were furrowed in confusion. "Are you wearing my Quidditch jumper?"

Lily didn't know it was possible for her face to get any redder.

"Um…"

Before she could try to come up with some form of an explanation, James grabbed her shoulder and stepped around her. He reached up and moved her hair to the side, his fingers brushing her neck as he did. She attributed the goosebumps that rose on her skin to the cold draft in the room.

He was still holding her in place by the shoulder, so she couldn't turn away to keep him from seeing the large golden letters—spelling out POTTER—splayed across the back of the jumper.

His hand dropped off her shoulder, but Lily still didn't move. She closed her eyes, wishing more than anything that she was old enough to Apparate. She would be very far away from where she currently was.

"I thought I lost that jumper." James said. Lily couldn't help but notice his voice was strained.

Still, she said nothing. Crooks began squirming around in her arms, not happy with her tighten grip around him.

"I thought I lost it, and here it is…" James said again. "Here _you _are, wearing it to bed."

Lily's face, which had been slowly returning to a more normal state, flamed again.

"I meant to give it back." She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Keep it." James said, his voice fiercer than he probably intended. He cleared his throat. "If you want to, I mean."

Lily bit her lip, trying and failing to contain the smile that was spreading across her face.

She didn't turn, but she nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

Without waiting for him to say anything more, Lily stepped away, hurrying towards the stairs as she clutched Crooks to her chest.

She could feel James's eyes on her as she climbed the staircase quickly, though she didn't turn around. It was only when she was safely in her dorm, right before she closed the door completely behind her, that Lily spared one last look at James Potter through the crack in the door.

He was sitting on the arm of the couch looking down at his feet in amazement. His hand was tangled in his unruly hair and he was shaking his head.

"Maybe it's not _completely_ hopeless after all." He muttered, his words drifting up to Lily just before the door shut with a click.

She returned to her bed, plopping Crooks down on top of the comforter where he proceeded to knead the blankets until he deemed them comfortable enough to lay down. Lily couldn't suppress the smile on her face, and she shook her head at herself.

Still, she couldn't help but think, Potter wasn't as hopeless as he seemed to think.


	5. Hopeful (Hopeless, Part 2)

**A/N: Here it is guys! The second part to Hopeless! After a few requests for a second part, I really buckled down and tried to put out something that would be good quality. Hopefully this meets (or exceeds!) your expectations. **

James was laying on his four poster, hands behind his head and feet swinging to the Beatles tune he was whistling when the other three Marauders found him that evening after their detention.

"Oi, what're you so chipper about?" Sirius grumbled as he threw himself down on his own bed.

"I'm feeling pretty ruddy hopefully, that's all." James replied, grinning as he sat up.

Sirius groaned and plopped his pillow over his face.

"No doubt because of some dumb thing Evans did." Came his muffled reply. Remus rolled his eyes and sat on the trunk at the foot of his bed. He retrieved a chocolate bar—one of Honeyduke's finest—as he spoke.

"Don't mind him, he's just being a prick because Filch had him shoveling dung into the pumpkin patch by Hagrid's for fertilizer while Pete and I polished trophies."

James laughed and Sirius grumbled some more—something about Remus and Peter being arse-kissers to Filch so they got the easy work—though the pillow over his face made his words unclear.

"Anyway, what's got you so hopeful Prongs?" Peter asked, settling himself on the trunk at the foot of James's bed.

"I didn't lose my Quidditch jumper, like I thought I had."

Remus and Peter exchanged a look, confused as to why something so trivial had James in such a good mood. Usually, the only things that could have his spirits high enough to hum the Beatles was a really ace prank of an encounter with Lily Evans that didn't result in James being hexed.

"Er…that's great Prongs. Where was it then?"

James's grin grew as he ruffled his hair. "Evans has it."

This remark captured Sirius's attention enough for him to sit up, placing the pillow that had been covering his face against the headrest and leaning back onto it.

"You've been hopeful about this bird going on six years now Prongs, what's so different about today? She had your jumper, so what?"

"You don't get it, Padfoot. She didn't just have it," James paused and gestured for Remus to toss him a piece of chocolate. After the candy had been distributed to all three boys, James continued. "Hogsmeade was boring without you three so I came back here. I planned to grab my broom and head out, but Evans was in the common room trying to get her cat out from under the couch."

"Bloody menace, that cat." Sirius interrupted.

"Shut up Padfoot," Remus laughed, "You're a little biased on the subject of cats."

"I don't understand what this had to do with your jumper." Peter said, interrupting before Sirius could argue further. "Was she setting it on fire or something?"

"I was getting there, and no." James rolled his eyes, but his grin was still wide across his face. "Anyway, I helped her get the cat and that's when I noticed. She was wearing my jumper."

"You didn't notice when you first saw her?" Remus asked, eyebrow raised. "You would've seen your name first thing if you were coming from the portrait."

"Yeah mate," Sirius barked out a laugh, "We all know you've perfected the practice of cataloguing every detail of Evans in under two minutes flat."

James's ear turned pink. "I was…er…distracted."

Sirius sat up, a smirk on his face. "What was so distracting, Prongs?"

"See, that's the thing. Evans was wearing my jumper…_with just her knickers under it._" James said the last part quickly, his face flaming, though he was not embarrassed enough to wipe the grin off his face.

Remus's eyes went wide, and Peter chuckled, but Sirius looked the most shocked out of the three. While Sirius had known that Evans's feelings for his mate were warming up, he had no idea that she was feeling friendly enough feelings to sleep in James's jumper in only her knickers.

"So, you saw Lily Evans wearing your jumper and her knickers?" Peter laughed, "I bet she was embarrassed!"

"Er…yeah, she seemed a little uncomfortable." James replied. His hand found its was to his hair unconsciously. "But that's why I feel a little bit hopeful."

"Hold on, mate." Sirius said, holding his hand up to stop the three others from talking. "Why was she wearing her knickers in the common room?"

"I second that question." Remus said. He still looked baffled by the situation.

"Apparently she sleeps in them. My jumper and her knickers, that is. She only ran down there because she thought everyone was in Hogsmeade and she wanted to gather Crooks and go back to sleep." James said.

Sirius shook his head in wonder. "I can't believe Evans would be so daring. Anyone could've walked in. _You_ walked in!"

"I'm surprised she didn't hex you." Remus chuckled. He reached for another piece of chocolate only to grasp the empty wrapper. "Damn. We were supposed to restock in Hogsmeade today."

James's grin grew even wider. "Like I said, I'm hopeful. Now, let's go to dinner, I'm starving."

The four of them clambered out of their beds, Peter tripping over a pair of shoes Sirius had left in the middle of the room and made their descent into the common room. Most of the students were already in the great hall, as dinner had begun nearly twenty minutes ago, but there was a certain red head sitting in the chair by the fire, feet tucked under her as she turned the pages in her book. She looked up at the racket the four of them were making, and James was surprised to see a nervous smile on her face.

The four boys stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching curiously as Lily placed her bookmark in the pages, grabbed a small package from the table beside her, and rose to meet them halfway across the common room. Sirius prodded James in the middle of his back, urging him forward.

"Hullo Evans." James said, ruffling his hair.

"James." Lily nodded, a slight smile on her face. She leaned to look around his shoulder at the other Marauders. "Hello boys."

They all grinned and waved, trying to hide their surprise at her civility towards James paired with the fact that she had called him James rather than the infamous 'Potter'.

Lily turned back to James and held out the package to him. "Here."

"What's this?" James asked, raising an eyebrow as he took the small wrapped box.

"A thanks for helping me get Crooks back this morning. Bloody menace, that cat." Lily laughed. Sirius grinned, elbowing Remus in the side and giving him an 'I told you so' look. "Plus, none of you went to Hogsmeade today, so I didn't want you to be missing out."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, the blush on her cheeks was hard to miss.

"You didn't have to do that." James said. Sirius cleared his throat. "But thank you, really."

"Right." Lily nodded, clasping her hands together in front of her. "Well then, I'm off to dinner."

With one last wave at the other three, and a quick smile—accompanied by a deeper blush staining her throat—at James, Lily hurried out of the portrait hole, leaving the four boys standing in the common room, stunned.

"What'd she get you then?" Peter prodded, breaking the silence.

James turned to his mates and unwrapped the gold packaging. Beneath the crisp paper lay a box full of Honeyduke's finest chocolate bars, Pepper Imps, and Sugar Quills—all their favorites.

Remus, spotting the chocolate, grinned. "I'd marry Lily Evans in a heartbeat."

James shot him a look as Sirius laughed. "Evans sure can be surprising."

"Yeah." James managed, looking at the box in his hands as that hopeful feeling surged through him again. "She really can."


	6. Worth the Wait

**A/N: Here's a short oneshot that was originally supposed to be part of a bigger story but I could never get any further than this scene. However, I loved this material a little too much to scrap it completely. Hope you enjoy! xox**

"Where is he, Sirius?" Lily questioned, her brow furrowed with worry.

The Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match had been awful—between the torrential downpour and the dirty playing from the Slytherin team, Gryffindor had succumbed to the worst defeat of the year—but that wasn't the only thing troubling Lily now. She couldn't help but feel partially responsible for their loss that evening. If she hadn't gotten into that row with James right before the match his head might've been more in the match and the outcome might've been different.

"He wants to be alone right now, Evans." Sirius replied before taking a swig out of the open bottle of Fire whiskey he was lugging around.

"I don't bloody care if he wants to be alone right now. I need to speak with him."

"Oi, I tend to forget how feisty you can be Evans." Sirius grinned, his eyes looked a little glassy and Lily sighed. Just one more thing to feel guilty about. "Fine, if you must know, he's in the Prefect's bathroom taking a soak. It was a rough match, as you well know."

Lily grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"Eh, we'll get over it. Just go fix things with Prongs. He's taking it pretty hard."

Lily nodded and thanked Sirius before turning and heading towards the portrait hole. She ignored the fact that she was in her pajamas—as silk nightdress made of the prettiest green with bits of creamy lace around the neckline. It wasn't quite curfew yet, and she would have just enough time to make it into the Prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor before Filch started roaming the halls looking for stray students to punish.

As Lily hurried along the corridor, she couldn't help but replay the argument she had had with James before the match. While she did feel guilty about her timing for the argument, she couldn't help but feel justified as well. Any witch would feel the way Lily had felt, standing there watching James flirt with Cecily Lovelace—his ex-girlfriend—directly in front of her, when he had asked _her_ to go to the Quidditch match to watch him. And then later, finding out that they had spent the night together in the Astronomy Tower. It didn't matter that James had insisted they had just been talking.

Lily knew that it was silly to be so upset—after all, they were just friends it, weren't they? —but she couldn't seem to make the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach go away. And when they had been arguing, she couldn't even seem to rationalize why she was so upset. So rather than fixing things, Lily had managed to irk James enough that he had obviously lost complete focus during the game, resulting in their loss that evening.

Shaking her head, Lily rounded the corner on the fifth floor and came to a stop in front of the door to the Prefect's bathroom. She took a deep breath, trying to brace herself for the confrontation that she was about to face.

"Lemon drops." She mumbled, biting her lip and trying to ignore her nerves. The heavy door swung open and Lily slipped in quietly.

The heat blasted her in the face as soon as the door closed behind her. The room was full of steam swirling around in dazzling colors. Lily took in the scene before her, a slight blush coming to her face. The room was empty save for one other person. Lily's eyes rested on James Potter, who was sunk deep into the massive tub set in the floor in the center of the room. The hot water covered up to his broad (bare) shoulders, his head was tipped back and resting on the edge of the tub, his eyes closed. He had charmed the water to bubble around him, resembling a giant hot tub.

Lily took a step forward, coming to rest on the edge of the tub across from him. She cleared her throat.

"Hi James."

His eyes flew open and he looked at her curiously. Without speaking, he reached around himself and grabbed his glasses from their perch on the ledge and settled them on his face.

"Lily. What're you doing here?"

"I…er…I came to talk to you." Lily bit her lip again, looking away from him. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine."

Lily nodded. He clearly wasn't going to make this easy for her. That was fine. She would just tread on, hoping to warm him back up to her.

"The bludger hit you pretty hard. Mulciber should've gotten a penalty for that shot."

James shrugged, his bare shoulders raising and then falling back into the water. Lily couldn't help but notice the faint outline of his bare chest under the water. She felt herself turning red and jerked her gaze away.

James looked faintly amused, but not by much. "Is that all then?"

"No, not really." Lily sighed. She toed her shoes off, followed by her socks, and sat down at the edge of the tub, sinking her feet into the hot water. She felt the heat of the steam on the back of her neck and knew that the tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid were curling from the moist air. "I was hoping we could talk."

"I'm not much in the mood for a chat Lily."

"James, I'm sorry. I don't know why I was being such a witch earlier." Lily paused. "Actually, I do know why. It bothered me, how you were being with Cecily, I don't know exactly what it was, but I didn't think it was right, considering…"

James sighed and sat more upright. "Considering what? Considering that Cecily and I are friends and she was speaking to me like a _friend_ does?"

"Considering that you had asked me to go down to the pitch to watch you!" Lily shouted, startling herself. She tried again, her voice lowered this time. "Considering you asked me to go with you, to cheer for you, and when I do you spend the entire time before the game ignoring me to chat it up with Cecily the Tart."

"She's just a friend, Lily! Nothing more."

"Well you were awfully friendly, James. How am I supposed to compete with a girl like her?"

"There's no bloody competition!" James shouted, jamming his fingers into his unruly hair. "There never has been any competition for you Lily, can't you see that?"

Lily blinked, biting her lip. What was he saying? "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Lily, it that there hasn't been and will never be a bird that compares to you! You're the one I want to be with, you're the one I wanted with me before the match today, you're the one I wanted wearing my jersey cheering me on." James stopped, his eyes full of some burning emotion Lily couldn't quite decipher. "It's you, Lily Evans. That's it for me. There is no competition."

Looking at his face, Lily could see that he meant every word he said. His hazel eyes were blazing behind his glasses, his jaw set in stubborn determination. He thought she was going to turn him down, to come up with excuses and reasons and rules why they couldn't be having this discussion. Lily could read him like a book, and that was why she knew what she did next shocked him so greatly.

Lily exhaled and gave the small strings holding her cloak together over her shoulders a tug, letting it fall to the ground behind her. She pushed off the ledge, letting her body slip into the warm water of the tub. She watched James as his eyes darkened, taking in the view of her nightgown. The thin silk was quickly clinging to every inch of her skin as she submerged more fully into the water.

A smile tugged at Lily's lips as she walked closer to James. "You really mean that, Potter?"

James swallowed, and Lily wanted to giggle when she saw his Adam's apple bob in his throat. "Every word, Evans."

"Good." She whispered, closing the distance between them. Lily slid her body onto James's lap, her knees on either side of his thighs, her arms wrapping around his neck. She was shaking slightly—with nerves and anticipation—but as James placed his hands on her hips, she could feel his hands shaking as well and she was comforted by the fact that this was having just as much of an impact on him.

Feeling braver than she had ever been, Lily closed the gap between them. As their lips met, Lily let out the softest of sighs. _Perfect._

James deepened the kiss, his hands gripping her hips more firmly as he pulled her even closer. Her lips parted and all she could taste was James. The feeling of his hands on her body, his lips on hers, was heady and intoxicating. She felt as though she had downed half of Sirius's bottle of Fire whiskey.

Eventually they broke apart and Lily laughed at finding her hands entangled in James's thick mess of hair. It was surprisingly soft. James continued to press kisses to the base of her throat and along her jawline, making her heart jump.

James grinned up at her. "I've thought about this for ages, you know."

"Oh yeah? Was I worth the wait?"

James's hands traveled up her back, pulling her closer. She shivered at the look in his hazel eyes. "Definitely."


	7. Say What You Mean

"Fancy seeing you here, Potter." Lily Evans laughed as she dropped onto the couch in front of the fireplace, jostling into the boy to whom she spoke.

"It's a party celebrating Gryffindor's latest Quidditch win, Evans, why would I be anywhere else?" James Potter questioned, eyeing the drink in the girl's hand with a raised eyebrow.

Lily lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip, her tongue flicking across her lips before answering. "I meant fancy seeing you _here, _as in, on the couch rather than roaming the room and being your usual genial host self."

James's eyes lingered on the redhead's lips for a beat too long before he shook his head and smiled. "It was a rough game. I just wanted to give my weary muscles a break."

"Ah, I see." Lily smiled back before tipping her cup full of what James assumed to be Firewhiskey back and draining the rest. "Maybe I can help with that?"

Before James could ask what she meant, Lily set her cup down on the table and slid closer to him. She nudged him forward—in his moment of confusion, James complied easily—and wormed her way behind him so that she was settled snuggly between the back of the couch and his body. James could feel the outline of her pressed tightly against his back and closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts.

"What're you doing, Evans?" James asked, his voice coming out gruffer than he had hoped.

"Giving you a massage, of course." Lily replied easily. James was struck dumb, unable to formulate any semblance of a reply when he felt her hands slid up his back and begin kneading the muscles of his shoulders. Despite his efforts, his head dropped and he let out a groan. He could feel her laugh, her body shaking against his back.

Her fingers were like magic and James wanted nothing more than to succumb to the sensation of them working paths across his back and shoulders, digging into the sore spots of tension that were coiled tightly from the match, but he knew better. Lily had obviously had too much to drink—Merlin knew she would never be this close to him, touching him willingly under any other circumstances—and his mother had taught him how to be a proper gentleman.

It was with herculean effort that James grabbed Lily's hands as they slid around the front to massage his chest and pulled away from her, sliding across the couch and turning to face her.

"As nice as that was, Evans, I don't think—"

Lily cut him off, her face bright red. "Forget it, Potter. It was…I was…stupid."

She jumped from the couch, bending to grab her cup as she did. Her auburn hair swung forward and brushed against James. He inhaled the scent of her—parchment, ink, and something sweet and distinctly Lily-scented—and reached out to touch her wrist.

Lily straightened and paused, looking at him curiously. Her cheeks were still red and she was chewing on her lip—something that she only did when she was nervous, James knew.

"You aren't stupid. I just don't know that this is a good idea." He gestured to her cup. "You've been drinking."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "I'm not drunk, James Potter."

"You aren't sober either, Lily Evans."

Lily scoffed and flicked her hair back over her shoulder. "I'm obviously unsuitable company for you tonight, Potter, so I think I'll be going now."

James sighed and mussed his already unruly hair. "I just don't want you doing something you ordinarily wouldn't be caught dead doing. Not to say I didn't enjoy it…"

Lily rolled her eyes and turned away from his to scan the room. Before she caught site of Marlene or Mary, Dean Ackerley joined her and James by the couch.

"Nice game, Potter." He said, nodding to James before turning to Lily with a bright smile. "Hullo Lily, you're looking fit as ever."

Lily beamed at him. "Hi Dean. Enjoying the party?"

"Bit quiet, but yeah. My mates and I were just talking about sneaking down to the lake for a swim, care to join?"

James narrowed his eyes. Ackerley was a right git—there was no way he was letting Lily disappear onto the grounds at night with him and his imbecilic mates. Not that James had any say in what Lily did, but still. He watched as Lily seemed to debate her answer, wondering how exactly he could interfere without looking like an arse. He was surprised, however, when Lily smiled and shook her head.

"Sorry Dean, I've got a lot of homework tomorrow. I was thinking about turning in soon. Maybe next time."

James felt the tension in his chest deflated and settled back into the couch. He knew he had no right to be jealous—Lily wasn't his girlfriend, hell, she barely tolerated him some days—but it was easy to forget things like that in the moment.

"No problem, Lily." Dean smiled easily. He leaned in and kissed her cheek before pulling away and stepping back. "Later, Potter."

James barely mustered a polite nod. He watched Ackerley walk back across the common room before turning to Lily. She was watching him, a faint smile on her face.

"It's a good thing you didn't go with him."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"It'd be stupid to go swimming in the lake this late." James muttered, looking away.

Lily expelled a sharp breath. James looked back at her, taking in her flushed cheeks and the flash of irritation in her green eyes.

"I mean it." He said stubbornly, knowing he was flat out lying. There was no problem with swimming in the lake at night—the marauders has just gone last week, in fact—he just hadn't wanted her to go with Ackerley.

"Whatever James." Lily rolled her eyes. "You know what? I think I've changed my mind, a swim sounds rather divine right now."

James shot up from the couch. "Don't be ridiculous, Evans."

Lily scoffed. "Oi! Can't you ever just say what you actually mean?"

James paused, taking in the stubborn set to Lily's shoulders as she settled her hands on her hips and stared at him through narrow eyes. He really hadn't planned for this—it was definitely not the way he had planned on telling her his exact feelings towards her—but he didn't see how he could avoid it any longer.

"Fine!" James shot back, his voice louder than he meant it to be. He brought the volume down, though his tone was serious as he looked Lily straight in the eye. "Fine, it's because I'm jealous! And because I'm so bloody unhinged just being around you! I can't stand to see you with another bloke, Evans, but I don't know how to go forward from here either—"

"Finally!" Lily breathed, cutting him off. Her cheeks were flushed and she stepped closer to him. Before he knew what was happening, Lily had closed the distance and pressed her lips to his.

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her body flush against his and he reacted without thinking. His hands slid around her waist, holding her in place as he took control of the kiss. It didn't matter that they were standing in the middle of a party in the common room. He no longer cared that his body was aching from the match. The fact that Dean Ackerley had just asked Lily out was forgotten as well. In that moment, nothing mattered more than the fact that Lily Evans had kissed James—was still kissing him, in fact—and she hadn't been drunk when she did so.

After what seemed like an eternity—but was, in reality, only a few seconds—Lily broke away from the kiss, though she stayed pressed against him. Her breathing was shallow and her blush had spread down her throat and she was beaming up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"I have to say, Evans, I didn't see that coming." James managed to say, his voice husky.

"May need to get that prescription checked then, Potter." Lily laughed, tapping the frames of his glasses.


	8. What Could Have Been

On the morning of his eleventh birthday, Harry James Potter woke up to someone shaking him while whispering in his ear. "Harry. Harry, wake up. C'mon…wake up."

"Wha-?" Harry mumbled, rubbing his eyes blearily.

"Here you go. C'mon now." Harry took hold of the specs that were being thrust into his hands and slid them onto his face.

With his specs firmly in place, Harry was able to see that it was his dad who had been shaking him out of sleep. James Potter was perched on the side of his son's bed—still dressed in his pyjamas, his black hair more unruly than usual—with a huge grin on his face.

"Dad- "Harry began, though he broke off with a gaping yawn.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" James blurted, unable to control his excitement any longer as he grinned down at his son.

"Merlin James, you'd think you were the one turning eleven today." Harry turned his head to see his mum standing in the doorway, his three-year-old sister propped on her hip. Lily Potter smiled softly at her son; her face bright with happiness as she took in the sight of her husband bouncing lightly on Harry's bed while Harry was still attempting to fully wake up. "Happy Birthday sweetheart."

"Thank mum, dad." Harry said happily. Now that he was fully awake, he felt the stir of excitement in his stomach—it was his eleventh birthday. Ordinarily, turning eleven would not be such a fuss; however, Harry was not an ordinary boy.

He kicked his feet out of his blankets and shot out of bed, stopping in front of his dad. "Is it here yet?"

James grinned at his son's excited tone and stood, ruffling Harry's hair. "Why don't you run downstairs and check?"

Harry spun and bolted for the door only to be stopped by his mum, who blocked his path, laughing. "Turning eleven doesn't make you exempt from hugging your mum, you know."

Groaning dramatically—but not meaning it in the slightest—Harry stepped into Lily's embrace and let her hug him, savoring the warmth and comfort of her hug. He then turned to the toddler resting on Lily's hip and kissed her cheek.

"Morning Minnie."

Harry's baby sister laughed delightedly when Harry pulled away and mussed the ginger curls on her head. "Arry birfday. Appy appy!"

"That's right, little love. It's Harry's birthday!" James said as he joined them in the doorway. "Should we follow him to the kitchen and see if he's gotten anything special?"

Minnie clapped her hands, giggling and nodding.

"Go on then Harry." Lily urged. Harry needed no further prodding to propel himself down the stairs at full speed. He skipped the last three steps, choosing instead to grab the banister and swing himself around the corner into the kitchen.

"Happy birthday Harry!" The cacophony of voices chimed as he entered the room.

A brilliant smile lit Harry's face as he took in the crowd around the table. There was Sirius, his godfather, with his motorcycle boot clad feet propped up on the tabletop, his hands folded behind his head and a smirk on his face. Beside him sat his Uncle Remus, who shoved Sirius's boot out of his face upon Harry's entrance. On the other side of Remus sat his mum's friend Mary—who was closer to a sister to Lily than Harry's actual Aunt Petunia was—and her boyfriend Benjy Fenwick.

And there, on top of the table, was a small stack of gifts—one of them even looked like an actual broomstick, not just a practice one for kids, either—but above all else is was a small, cream colored envelope with grand, sloping writing in green ink that captured his attention.

Harry looked back at his parents, who were hanging back in the doorway. Minnie had long since climbed down from Lily's arms and crawled into Sirius's lap and was trying to reach the stack of gifts. James's arm rested lightly around Lily's waist and she rested her head on his shoulder as they both looked on at their son and all their loved ones that had gathered to celebrate.

Harry knew that he ought to be grossed out by his parents always openly displaying how much they loved each other—he couldn't begin to count the number of times he had caught them kissing when they thought he was otherwise occupied—but he wasn't. He knew that his parents love for each other, and their love for both Minnie and him, was something important—so important, probably, that nothing could ever defeat it.

His mum nodded at him while his dad looked on, grinning like a child. Harry grinned back and turned to face the table again.

"Go on then, Harry, what're you waiting for?" Sirius asked, tipping his head towards the letter.

Remus picked up the envelope and passed it to Harry. "Here you go then."

Harry took a deep breath and broke the seal, shaking the parchment out into his hands. Harry unfolded the letter as his family looked on, the smile on his face growing even wider as he read…

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are pleased to inform you of your acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


End file.
